Machine for cutting stockings into strips.



E. MASLICH. n MACHINE FOR CUTTING STOCKINGS INTO STRIPS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22. T915.l

Patented Apr. 25,1916.

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E. MASLICH. MACHINE FOR CUTTING STOCKINGS INTO STRIPS.

APPLICATION' FILED APR. 22,19I5. LIU@ Patented Apr. 25,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- f "burra sraarae rarnnar EDWARD MASLICH, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MACI-INE FOR CUTTING STOCKINGS INTO STRIPS.

Application filed April 22, 1915.

To all 'whom t may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD MASLICH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Machines for Cutting Stockings into Strips, of which the following is a specification.

When the refuse from a great city is collected there are found many thousands of old socks and stockings which are under ordinary conditions practically waste but by cutting them into continuous strips of material these strips can be used in making rag carpets and the like with resulting substantial profit to all parties handling the material.

The object of this invention is primarily to provide a machine for so cutting up old socks and stockings although there are doubtless other articles of general cylindrical shape to which it may be applied.

The invention consists in a machine for so treating stockings and the like which can be easily and cheaply made and installed, which is satisfactory in operation and not readily liable to get out of order and in one having the special features and details of construction hereafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings in which similar nu merals indicate the same parts throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a plan and Fig. 2 is a side view of mechanism illustrating this invention in its preferred form. Fig. 3 is an end view of the machine viewed from the left of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the frame of the machine showing the gearing. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the feed mechanism for moving the stockings up to the cutting knife. Figs.

6, 7, 8 and` 9 are detail views of parts of the device of Fig. 5.

Rising from a base 10 adapted to be secured to a table or any other fixed place, is a bracket 12 carrying at its top a case or housing 14 within which `the gearing mechanism 16, shown in detail in Fig. 4, is mounted. Rigidly secured to this case or housing 14 are two parallel horizontal rods or bars 18 spaced apart at their opposite ends by a frame work 2O also securable at its lower end by nuts 22 or any other suitable means to a table or fixed support. Slidably mounted on and guided by these rods 18 is a mov- Specifcation of Letters Patent.

Patented Alpi'. 25, 1916.

serial No. 23,155.

able block 24 having extending from one end a cord or the like 26 to whose opposite end, not shown, is attached a weight or spring or other suitable device for normally tending to draw this block 24 to the right as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2. Extending from the opposite end of the block 24 is another cord 28 adapted to be manipulated by the user of the machine through the agency of a treadle n ot shown or any other suitable device to, at will, move the block 24 to the left against the action of the spring or weight pulling on rope 26. In the drawings the ropes 26 and 28 are, for convenience of construction, made in one rope rigidly secured in the block 24. Projecting from this block 24 and at right angles to the rods 18 is a fixed post or shaft 30 on which is journaled a loose roller 32 over which the stocking to be cut is adapted to rest and move. Pivoted at 33 on the block 24 is a lever member 34 normally drawn upward by the spring 36 attached, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, both to the lever and the block. This lever 34 carries rigidly attached to it the horizontal shaft 38 parallel to shaft 30 heretofore described within whose surface arejournaled angularly placed wheels 40 shown in detail in Figs. 6 and 7 having projecting from their circumferences pin or needle points 42. This mechanism just described on shaft 38 is a well known longitudinal feeding mechanism used and understood in many classes of machinery and is not here claimed except in general as a feeding mechanism in the combinations hereafter set forth.

Rigidly mounted upon shaft 44 suitably mounted in frame or housing 14 and driven by the gearing 16 from either a hand wheel 46 or by suitably source of power not shown applied to pulleys 48 is a roughened surface drum 50. Bearing against the inner edge 56 of this drum 50 is a cutting knife 52 mounted upon shaft 54 also driven by the gearing 16 from the same source of power as the drum 50. The inner edge 56 of the drinn 50 combined with the knife 52 makes a rotary shear which will cut any material which is placed upon the drum 50 in such a position that it is fed in between these two knives 52 and 56.

The stocking to be cut is placed over the drum 50 and as much beyond the knife members 52-56 as the width of the strip to be cut from the stocking. In placing the sol l stocking over this drum 50 the operator by any suitable means pulls the cord 28 to the left thereby moving block 24 to the leftagainst the action of the spring or weight on the cord 261until roller 32 is near enough to drum 50 so that the stocking can be placed over the drum 50 and the roller 32 and over the feed roller shaft 38 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. In the hand operation of the machine in the absence of the automatic mechanism hereafter described, the operator simply takes hold of lever 34 and moves it downward against the action of spring 36 thus moving feed roller 40 on shaft 38 to such a position that the stocking can be slipped over the drum 50 and roller 32 without trouble from contact with the pins 42 on rollers 40 carried by shaft 38.

vAs soon as the stocking has been put in place, the operator releases lever 34 whereupon spring 36 draws it upward to the position shown in Fig. 2 where the pins 42 engage the stocking previously placed in position. Automatic means for making this last described manipulation of lever 34 may be provided as shown in the drawingby providing the leftl hand end of lever 34 with a cam face 58 which travels upon a roller 60, the two being so located and arranged that movement of the block or housing 24 to the left automatically throws lever 34 and attached parts downward against the action of spring 36.

In order to insure proper contact between the knives '52 and 56, a lever 62 is provided carrying at its upper end a roller 66 traveling near the outer periphery of cutting wheel 52. This lever is driven by the spring 68 to force this roller into contact with the cutting wheel 52 and thus insure a good shearing contact of the wheel 52 with the shear wheel 56. The pressure of this spring 68 may be varied by rotating nut 69 to turn screw 71 into and out of the frame, as the case may be. This regulating may be done while the machine is running. Itis to be noted that the wheel 66 presses the cutting together only near their point of contact, thereby reducing the friction which occurs where one wheel is pressed at several points.

In the operation of the device, the stocking is placed in the position described on the machine whereupon the hand wheel 46 or the pulley wheels 48 are rotated with resulting operation of the shears 52-56. As the stocking is over roller 32 and is held taut by the weight on cord 26 it acts like a belt over members 50 and 32,'which, as drum 50 is rotated, travels over the parts named and as it does so the wheels 40 being pressed at an angle as described, automatically feed the stocking along the drum 50 `toward the knives 52-56 with the result that the stocking. is spirally cut around its circumference into a substantially continuous actual feeding of the stocking to the knives I occurs in the portion of the stocking which isbelow the center lines of the drum 50 and the roller 32. The stocking travels in the particular machine here illustrated in a counter-clockwise direction and that portion of it which is above the roller 32 travels in a substantially straight line to the knife mechanism.

While the feed rollers on shaft 38 might 4be used alone without the roller| 32, experiments have shown that this is not as satisfactory as to provide the two rollers as shown.

In order that the pressure of the lever 62 forcing knife 52 against knife 56 may not bind shaft 44 so that it cannot be rotated satisfactorily, a pressure ball bearing is preferably installed on shaft 44 and inside thehousing 14 so as to allow for this.

The pin pointed wheels 40 heretofore described, are mounted on the hubs 72 of metallic disks 74 located on the central shaft 38 shown in Fig. 5. The disks 74 are stationary at the angle shown in Fig. 6. As shown the horizontal distance between a pin point on a given wheel 40 at the top of such wheel and a corresponding pin point on the bottom of the wheel is at the maximum. The result is that when the feeding device is in the position of Fig. 5, a maximum longi* tudinal movement of the stocking is obtained providing that the stocking engages these pin points at either the top or bottom of the feeding device but intermediate degrees of feed may be obtained by simply rotating 5.1.-

In other words, when it is desired to cut 1.1.*

a relatively narrow strip a feeding device is rotated to a. point where the stocking engages the pin wheels 40 at points on the circumference which are not at the maximum angle of inclination and when as large a l.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a. device of the class described, means for supporting a tubular piece of material to be cut, of greaterI circumferential length than said supporting means, cutting means for severing a portion 'from the end of said material, means for driving the material to be cut in a circumferential path toward the cutting means, means stretching the tubular piece of material to be cut over the supporting means, and means automatically feeding the material to be cut lengthwise of itself, whereby the said material is severed into a continuous strip for the purposes set forth.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a drinn over which a tube of material to be cut may be placed, means adjacent to the drum for severing a portion from the end of the material to be cut placed upon the drum, a roller parallel to the drum, and means automatically drawing said roller away from the drum so as to afford al tension upon the tube of material placed over the roller and drum.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a drum over which a tube of material to be cut may be placed, means ,adjacent to the drum for severing a portion from the end of the materialy to be cut placed upon the drum, a roller parallel to the drum, means automatically drawing said roller away from the drum so as to afford a tension upon the tube of material placed over the roller and drum, and means for progressively feeding the material over the roller and drum toward the cutting mechanism.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a drum adapted to receive a stocking, a knife mechanism at the end of the drum for severing a strip off from the stocking, means for rotating said knife and drum, means for stretching the stocking over the drum, and automatic means for propelling the stocking longitudinally of itself toward the cutting means. c

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a drum adapted to receive a stocking, a knife mechanism at the end of the drum for severing a strip off from the stocking, means for rotating said knife and drum, means for stretching the stocking over the drum and automatic means for propelling the stocking longitudinally of itself toward the cutting means, and means for selectively varying the rapidity of said longitw dinal propulsion.

6. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a drum, a knife coperating with it and means for driving the same, a block movable toward and from the drum, a roller mounted on said block, a lever pivoted on said block, a feeding means carried by said lever, spring means tending to move said feeding means toward said roller, and a tension device moving the block away from the drum whereby a stocking may at will be placed over the roller and drum in engagement with the feeding means, for the purposes set forth.

7. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a drum, a knife coperating with it and means for driving the same, a block movable toward and from the drum, a roller mounted on said block, a lever pivoted on said block, a feeding means carried by said lever, spring means tending to move said feeding means toward said roller, a tension device moving the block away from the drum whereby a stocking may at will be placed over the roller and drum in engagement with the feeding means, and an automatic cam device controlling said lever to move the feeding mechanism away from the roller as the block approaches the drum and vice versa.

8. In a device of the class described, two wheels bearing against each other to form a shear, means for rotating said wheels, and spring means bearing against one of said wheels at a single point near its circumference, where it engages the other wheel in cutting, forcing it into engagement with the other, and means for regulating the degree of force so applied.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD MASLICI-I.

Witnesses:

DWIGHT B. CHEEVER, MAX S. RosENzwnIe.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

